Italian Cream Cake Cookies

I have been digging through some recipes that I have pinned, and it seems like if I don’t make a recipe soon after I pin it, I forget that it exists and sometimes by the time I go back to check the recipes the links don’t work anymore. This recipe isn’t all that old, but I did pin it a bit ago. I have wanted to make these for a long time, and this week was the right time.

This is a version of a thumbprint cookie, but quite a bit different. This cookie is simple and crumbly, mainly butter, powdered sugar, and flour. You do need to mix them a bit to have the dough come together, but they are affable to shaping. You roll the cookies in chopped pecans and coconut. The dough isn’t super sticky, so you have to work to get that to stick. You’ll have more pecans and coconut than you need, but it’s like frosting: I’d rather have too much than too little.

These are small cookies, but they bake low and slow. They don’t turn golden brown, so you just need to check and see if they are set. You do need to cool the cookies before filling, but that only takes 15 minutes for that to happen. The filling is, again, simple just cream cheese, butter, and powdered sugar. I whipped the filling a lot, so it was the consistency I wanted. Piping the filling is the easiest way to finish these cookies, and they are so petite that to spoon in the filling would be nearly impossible. I love these cookies, so crumbly, but simple and beautiful with the cream cheese filling.

Italian Cream Cake Cookies
1 1/2 cups butter, room temperature
3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 1/4 cups flour
3/4 cup cornstarch
3/4 cup chopped pecans
3/4 cup flaked coconut

8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Heat the oven to 300 degrees. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats.

In a large mixer bowl, beat the butter and powdered sugar on medium until light. With the mixer running on low, gradually add the flour and cornstarch, stirring until the dough comes together. You may need to do the last bit of shaping with your hands.

Place the pecans and coconut in a small bowl. Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and then roll in the pecan/coconut mixture. Place on the prepared baking sheets.

Flatten the cookies slightly with the palm of your hand and then make an indentation in each cookie with your thumb or similar tool. Reshape the balls as needed.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until set and barely browned. Allow to cool before making the filling

In a large mixer bowl, bear the cream cheese and butter on medium until combined. With the mixer running on low, gradually add the powdered sugar and vanilla. If the filling is too stiff, add 1-2 teaspoons of milk to thin. Transfer the mixture into a piping bag and pipe the filling into the indentations of the cooled cookies.

Recipe from Something Swanky